Needle threader



Nov. 3, 1936.

C. A. CARLSON NEEDLE THREADER Filed Feb. 4, 1935 F' T |5 E FIE 5+ 56 1 J14 F" W /0 f/ /0 INVENTOR. Car/ ,4. Car/50x7 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 3, 1936 FATE NEEDLE THREADER Carl A. Carlson, San Francisco, Calif.

Application February 1 Claim.

My invention relates to means for assisting in threading sewing needles of the common type, usually comprising a relatively small shank pierced adjacent one end for the reception of a thread. Customarily the needle eye is elongated and, in the case of sewing machine needles, is located within a longitudinal groove. It is an old expedient to insert a wire loop through a needle eye and to engage a thread with such inserted loop and then to withdraw the loop from the needle eye in order to pull the thread therethrough. Such an operation, however, is rather difficult with installed sewing machine needles and is likewise somewhat diffioult with relatively small hand needles, since it is about as hard to insert the wire 100p into the needle eye as it is directly to insert the thread therein.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a needle threader which increases the certainty of threading the needle and reduces the optical and physical difliculty of inserting a wire loop into the needle eye.

A further object of my invention is to provide a durable and simple structure for facilitating the threading of needles.

Another object of my invention is to provide a needle threader which is especially applicable for use in threading sewing machine needles.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in the embodiment of the invention as shown in the drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan, portions being in section, of a needle threader in accordance with my invention, showing a needle in position to be engaged thereby.

Fig. 2 is a plan similar to Fig. 1, but showing a needle farther engaged with my needle threader.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the needle fully engaged with the threader and with the thread in initial position.

Fig. 4 is a view comparable to Fig. 1 but showing a succeeding step in the threading operation.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing substantially the final step in the threading operation.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section the plane of which is indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section the plane of which is indicated by the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a cross-section the plane of which is indicate-d by the line 83 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a portion of a sewing machine showing a modified form of the 4, 1935, Serial No. 4,788

FFIQE needle threader of my invention in conjunction therewith.

is to pass.

Although the needle threader of my invention is capable of various modifications in accordance with its particular field of use, it is well exemplifled herein as including a wire loop ii. The wire is of relatively small diameter and is somewhat flexible. It is formed into a substantially diamond-shaped figure, having a relatively small bend 1 adjacent one end, an

d then enlarging and diverging to a central portion 8 of maximum spacing and then converging to bends 9 and H which terminate in oppositely disposed spaced portions 12 and is in substantial alignment. The bend l is of suiiiciently small compass as to pass easily through the elongated In order that the relative eye M of a needle l6. location of the needle Iii and of the bend i can be readily maintained, I provide in accordance with my invention a needle-supporting plate M which is preferably a generally planar composed of strip metal.

rectangular structure, The plate is arranged in substantial parallelism with the plane of the loop 6 and is spaced therefrom approximately the distance from the exterior surface of the needle to the center of the eye in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive. In

M thereof, as shown order that the plate 2i can be eiiectively maintained in co-operating relationship with the loop 6, I provide a turnedover portion 22 on the strip which is also folded upon itself, as at 23, to tightly overlie the portions l2 and 13 of the loop', an aperture 24 in the bent which pass through portion of the plate.

When the overlapping parts of the plate are tightly pressed against and 13 of the loop are each other, the ends l2 firmly anchored with the loop held in the desired relative location.

In the use of the structure as shown in Fig. 1,

the needle ship 2!, and then by a Fig. 2, sliding upon the sup I6 is brought into abutting relationor into contact with the supporting plate movement toward the left in porting plate 2|, the

eye 54 of the needle overrides the loop I, and, being further pressed toward the left, partially collapses the loop 6 until such time as the needle passes over the divergent p ortion 8 thereof and comes to rest substantially against the folded portion 23. Since the loop is then free again to expand it is ready for the reception of a thread 21. To accommodate the thread in the expanded portion 8 of the loop, I preferably pierce the plate 2| to provide an aperture 28 of relatively large size, readily to accept the thread 21 which is passed through the loop adjacent the region 8 and likewise through the aperture 28. At this juncture the needle I6 is moved toward the right, as shown in Fig. 4, and, in again contracting the loop and passing 01f the bend 1 thereof, engages the thread 21 which is looped through the needle eye I, as shown in Fig. 4. Further movement toward the right in Fig. 5 of the needle l6 causes the end 29 of the thread to pull out from the needle eye l4 and ultimately to disengage itself from the bend I, leaving the needle threader in its original condition and leaving the needle 16 suitably threaded with the thread 2'! passing through the needle eye. These movements are particularly well illustrated in Figs, 6 to 8, wherein is shown the effect of the needle-supporting and guide plate 2|.

This supporting plate and the relationship thereof with the needle are especially valuable in threading sewing machine needles, for example as shown in Fig. 9. Since the needle in this instance is not readily movable, and since the thread must ordinarily do all of the maneuvering for entering into the needle eye, and since the needle 3| customarily is provided with a longitudinal grooves 32, it is relatively simple ordinarily to move the plate 2| behind and slightly overlapping the needle 3| and then to bring it forward until it comes into contact with the needle. It is then necessary simply to move the plate to the left, as shown in Fig. 9, until the bend I engages with the longitudinal groove in the needle and then to slide the entire structure relatively downward until such time as the bend 1 engages with the needle eye and can be translated toward the left in Fig. 9 to follow the same sequence of operations as illustrated in the preceding figures.

If desired, the surface of the plate 2| can be coated, or a separate celluloid sheet 33 can be clamped in the fold 34 in order to provide a contrasting background for the loop 6 and the needle. In the latter case, the metal 2| can be additionally pierced as at 36 to admit light to the translucent sheet 33 to silhouette the loop and the needle.

I claim:

A needle threader comprising a wire loop having a central, relatively open part and a terminal bend, and a plate fastened to and underlying said loop, said plate having a first aperture therein underlying said central part of said loop and having a second aperture therein underlying said bend in said loop.

CARL A. CARLSON. 

